how about ireland and palestine? why nobody cry foul over the treatment to the people of ireland and palestine fighting for their independent nation?
Originally posted by Fatum:which monastery is that ? ..... may I ask ? ...
i just did on skype ... halfway through the dailtone got weird, as if it got switched over from another network ... not the normal dialtone of skype when you call other destinations .... I couldn't get through for your purported monastery ... and I only heard breathing from the first of your shops when I called, no one said a thing ....
I still couldn't get to my tibetan acquaintances however, whom I tried right after ... who happen to be tibetan civilians btw, not transplanted chinese businessmen (or maybe chinese intelligence? ) ....
It is 当头寺.
I dialed the 6330613, someone answered the phone
Anyway, if this number doesn't work, and you think that the entire tibet phone system is down, you should go and tell cnn or bbc.
LHASA, China -- Tibet has long gripped the Western imagination as an exotic Shangri-La isolated by soaring mountains, brutal winters and gasp-inducing thin air. Recently, it has also captured the Chinese, who come to glimpse Buddhist pilgrims prostrating themselves on their way to holy sites.
Encouraged by their government, some Chinese have come to the highlands in recent years seeking something else: a better life as pioneers in China's West. Recent turmoil serves as a reminder that their presence isn't welcome by many Tibetans.
Wang Ruilin came to Lhasa from his hometown in coastal Shandong nine months ago. He borrowed 60,000 yuan, about $8,500, from friends and family and opened a small restaurant selling noodles and dumplings.
Now, his business is little more than a pile of shattered memories covered in broken glass, tinged with the smell of burnt wood and plastic that hangs over parts of the city. "I lost it all," he says, picking through the rubble.
Many Tibetans have long resented the wave of migrants changing their culture and competing for jobs. On March 14, their anger erupted into two days of violent protests that have unhinged the uneasy calm between China and Tibet.
Protests started around the Ramoche Temple in Lhasa's old Tibetan quarter about noon, when monks, sealed in by police after earlier demonstrations, mounted rooftops and started pelting nearby buildings. A middle school, attended mostly by Tibetan children who are also taught Chinese, caught fire. Soon, crowds started smashing shops, including many run by Han Chinese and a Muslim minority, known as Hui. Banks, department stores and government offices were burned down in an area several blocks wide.
China's government says 22 people were killed, most of them civilians; Tibetan exiles put the number at 140. Hundreds have been arrested. Monks remain essentially under house arrest.
"They ruined people's livelihoods, they burned a school, they destroyed stores," says Xie Dayou, a police officer who came from Sichuan province 20 years ago.
Waving a trembling, bandaged hand, he describes how he and other police were surrounded by Tibetans, pelted with stones and attacked with broken bottles. He says the violence was far worse than anything he had seen, including protests by monks in 1989, the last major anti-China unrest here. Still, he says, he won't leave; "This is my hometown."
Wu Qiangyou says he came from Henan province, in central China. His taxi's windows were smashed. "I can't sell my car; no one would buy it," he says. "And if I don't drive, I lose 100 yuan a day. I used to have Tibetan friends and felt pretty good about them. Not anymore."
He says many of his Chinese friends are leaving, but he will stay. "I can't believe something like this happened," he says.
Late last week, tensions remained high. The police presence in the Tibetan quarter was heavy. Most shops in the narrow, winding stone alleyways were shut.
In a rare open restaurant, a sign in English promised food for lacto-ovo vegetarians, a sign of the eco-leaning tourists who often visit. There were no customers. Outdoor-goods stores were shut, too, as were most hotels, despite government assurances that Tibet is open to tourists.
People seemed uneasy. One foreigner declined to talk long to a reporter. "Don't believe what they tell you," she said before rushing off. "What my Tibetan friends have told me would make you sick to your stomach."
About four million travelers, mostly domestic tourists, visited Tibet in 2007, up from fewer than a million in 2003, the trip made easier by the building of the world's highest train line two years ago.
For many Han Chinese, Tibet appeals as an exotic yet accessible destination. With its cultural and spiritual traditions, it has become a haven for Han Chinese artists, writers and intellectuals looking for an alternative to materialistic modern China.
For those willing to move, China promises subsidies, tax exemptions, education credits and preferential consideration for government jobs. In 2005, the Tibet government offered a 2,000-yuan bonus to students from big-name universities. Soldiers stationed here get 2.5 times the normal pay, for what is considered a hardship post.
There is debate about how many Han Chinese have taken up the offers. Official figures show that at least 94% of the province's 2.81 million people are indigenous rather than ethnic Han, who dominate China's population. On the ground in Lhasa, though, the population of ethnic Han appears to be growing quickly, topping indigenous Tibetans, by some estimates.
Outside experts have no doubt that China has made huge strides to address Tibet's poverty, from funding schools and paying for medics to visit remote villages to electrifying areas. Signs of growth are everywhere, although Lhasa's mix of stores and concrete housing blocks looks drearily similar to other fast-growing Chinese cities.
For Ma Chuanming, a Muslim Hui who left a life as a poor farmer in Gansu province, Tibet promised a better life. After looters struck his store on the first day of riots, he and his family moved to a government building. They watched as smoke rose from the direction of their shop, which burned down.
He says he will rebuild. "I'm not afraid, it doesn't matter where you go, something bad could happen," Mr. Ma says."
Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120692123518075547.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
"'Pioneers' Rejected By Tibetans Ponder Tarnished Dreams
By SHAI OSTER
March 31, 2008; Page A7LHASA, China -- Tibet has long gripped the Western imagination as an exotic Shangri-La isolated by soaring mountains, brutal winters and gasp-inducing thin air. Recently, it has also captured the Chinese, who come to glimpse Buddhist pilgrims prostrating themselves on their way to holy sites.
Encouraged by their government, some Chinese have come to the highlands in recent years seeking something else: a better life as pioneers in China's West. Recent turmoil serves as a reminder that their presence isn't welcome by many Tibetans.
Wang Ruilin came to Lhasa from his hometown in coastal Shandong nine months ago. He borrowed 60,000 yuan, about $8,500, from friends and family and opened a small restaurant selling noodles and dumplings.
Now, his business is little more than a pile of shattered memories covered in broken glass, tinged with the smell of burnt wood and plastic that hangs over parts of the city. "I lost it all," he says, picking through the rubble.
Many Tibetans have long resented the wave of migrants changing their culture and competing for jobs. On March 14, their anger erupted into two days of violent protests that have unhinged the uneasy calm between China and Tibet.
Protests started around the Ramoche Temple in Lhasa's old Tibetan quarter about noon, when monks, sealed in by police after earlier demonstrations, mounted rooftops and started pelting nearby buildings. A middle school, attended mostly by Tibetan children who are also taught Chinese, caught fire. Soon, crowds started smashing shops, including many run by Han Chinese and a Muslim minority, known as Hui. Banks, department stores and government offices were burned down in an area several blocks wide.
China's government says 22 people were killed, most of them civilians; Tibetan exiles put the number at 140. Hundreds have been arrested. Monks remain essentially under house arrest.
"They ruined people's livelihoods, they burned a school, they destroyed stores," says Xie Dayou, a police officer who came from Sichuan province 20 years ago.
Waving a trembling, bandaged hand, he describes how he and other police were surrounded by Tibetans, pelted with stones and attacked with broken bottles. He says the violence was far worse than anything he had seen, including protests by monks in 1989, the last major anti-China unrest here. Still, he says, he won't leave; "This is my hometown."
Wu Qiangyou says he came from Henan province, in central China. His taxi's windows were smashed. "I can't sell my car; no one would buy it," he says. "And if I don't drive, I lose 100 yuan a day. I used to have Tibetan friends and felt pretty good about them. Not anymore."
He says many of his Chinese friends are leaving, but he will stay. "I can't believe something like this happened," he says.
Late last week, tensions remained high. The police presence in the Tibetan quarter was heavy. Most shops in the narrow, winding stone alleyways were shut.
In a rare open restaurant, a sign in English promised food for lacto-ovo vegetarians, a sign of the eco-leaning tourists who often visit. There were no customers. Outdoor-goods stores were shut, too, as were most hotels, despite government assurances that Tibet is open to tourists.
People seemed uneasy. One foreigner declined to talk long to a reporter. "Don't believe what they tell you," she said before rushing off. "What my Tibetan friends have told me would make you sick to your stomach."
About four million travelers, mostly domestic tourists, visited Tibet in 2007, up from fewer than a million in 2003, the trip made easier by the building of the world's highest train line two years ago.
For many Han Chinese, Tibet appeals as an exotic yet accessible destination. With its cultural and spiritual traditions, it has become a haven for Han Chinese artists, writers and intellectuals looking for an alternative to materialistic modern China.
For those willing to move, China promises subsidies, tax exemptions, education credits and preferential consideration for government jobs. In 2005, the Tibet government offered a 2,000-yuan bonus to students from big-name universities. Soldiers stationed here get 2.5 times the normal pay, for what is considered a hardship post.
There is debate about how many Han Chinese have taken up the offers. Official figures show that at least 94% of the province's 2.81 million people are indigenous rather than ethnic Han, who dominate China's population. On the ground in Lhasa, though, the population of ethnic Han appears to be growing quickly, topping indigenous Tibetans, by some estimates.
Outside experts have no doubt that China has made huge strides to address Tibet's poverty, from funding schools and paying for medics to visit remote villages to electrifying areas. Signs of growth are everywhere, although Lhasa's mix of stores and concrete housing blocks looks drearily similar to other fast-growing Chinese cities.
For Ma Chuanming, a Muslim Hui who left a life as a poor farmer in Gansu province, Tibet promised a better life. After looters struck his store on the first day of riots, he and his family moved to a government building. They watched as smoke rose from the direction of their shop, which burned down.
He says he will rebuild. "I'm not afraid, it doesn't matter where you go, something bad could happen," Mr. Ma says."
sounds like wat happened in myanmar recently. did asean remove myanmar's membership then?
Originally posted by Fatum:oh but there are I think .... some even stand for elections ....
don't believe me ? .... here .... courtesy of our friend Poh Ah Pak ...
http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/articleemperornoclothes.html
http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/yourletters1.html
oops ... I'm sorry ... i only got the links to show what the local "democrats" are thinking about China's actions in Tibet ....
so ... this one counts ? ... "free from despotic rule" enough for you ? ....
u sure these sites r hosted in sg?
Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120692123518075547.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
"'Pioneers' Rejected By Tibetans Ponder Tarnished Dreams
By SHAI OSTER
March 31, 2008; Page A7LHASA, China -- Tibet has long gripped the Western imagination as an exotic Shangri-La isolated by soaring mountains, brutal winters and gasp-inducing thin air. Recently, it has also captured the Chinese, who come to glimpse Buddhist pilgrims prostrating themselves on their way to holy sites.
Encouraged by their government, some Chinese have come to the highlands in recent years seeking something else: a better life as pioneers in China's West. Recent turmoil serves as a reminder that their presence isn't welcome by many Tibetans.
Wang Ruilin came to Lhasa from his hometown in coastal Shandong nine months ago. He borrowed 60,000 yuan, about $8,500, from friends and family and opened a small restaurant selling noodles and dumplings.
Now, his business is little more than a pile of shattered memories covered in broken glass, tinged with the smell of burnt wood and plastic that hangs over parts of the city. "I lost it all," he says, picking through the rubble.
Many Tibetans have long resented the wave of migrants changing their culture and competing for jobs. On March 14, their anger erupted into two days of violent protests that have unhinged the uneasy calm between China and Tibet.
Protests started around the Ramoche Temple in Lhasa's old Tibetan quarter about noon, when monks, sealed in by police after earlier demonstrations, mounted rooftops and started pelting nearby buildings. A middle school, attended mostly by Tibetan children who are also taught Chinese, caught fire. Soon, crowds started smashing shops, including many run by Han Chinese and a Muslim minority, known as Hui. Banks, department stores and government offices were burned down in an area several blocks wide.
China's government says 22 people were killed, most of them civilians; Tibetan exiles put the number at 140. Hundreds have been arrested. Monks remain essentially under house arrest.
"They ruined people's livelihoods, they burned a school, they destroyed stores," says Xie Dayou, a police officer who came from Sichuan province 20 years ago.
Waving a trembling, bandaged hand, he describes how he and other police were surrounded by Tibetans, pelted with stones and attacked with broken bottles. He says the violence was far worse than anything he had seen, including protests by monks in 1989, the last major anti-China unrest here. Still, he says, he won't leave; "This is my hometown."
Wu Qiangyou says he came from Henan province, in central China. His taxi's windows were smashed. "I can't sell my car; no one would buy it," he says. "And if I don't drive, I lose 100 yuan a day. I used to have Tibetan friends and felt pretty good about them. Not anymore."
He says many of his Chinese friends are leaving, but he will stay. "I can't believe something like this happened," he says.
Late last week, tensions remained high. The police presence in the Tibetan quarter was heavy. Most shops in the narrow, winding stone alleyways were shut.
In a rare open restaurant, a sign in English promised food for lacto-ovo vegetarians, a sign of the eco-leaning tourists who often visit. There were no customers. Outdoor-goods stores were shut, too, as were most hotels, despite government assurances that Tibet is open to tourists.
People seemed uneasy. One foreigner declined to talk long to a reporter. "Don't believe what they tell you," she said before rushing off. "What my Tibetan friends have told me would make you sick to your stomach."
About four million travelers, mostly domestic tourists, visited Tibet in 2007, up from fewer than a million in 2003, the trip made easier by the building of the world's highest train line two years ago.
For many Han Chinese, Tibet appeals as an exotic yet accessible destination. With its cultural and spiritual traditions, it has become a haven for Han Chinese artists, writers and intellectuals looking for an alternative to materialistic modern China.
For those willing to move, China promises subsidies, tax exemptions, education credits and preferential consideration for government jobs. In 2005, the Tibet government offered a 2,000-yuan bonus to students from big-name universities. Soldiers stationed here get 2.5 times the normal pay, for what is considered a hardship post.
There is debate about how many Han Chinese have taken up the offers. Official figures show that at least 94% of the province's 2.81 million people are indigenous rather than ethnic Han, who dominate China's population. On the ground in Lhasa, though, the population of ethnic Han appears to be growing quickly, topping indigenous Tibetans, by some estimates.
Outside experts have no doubt that China has made huge strides to address Tibet's poverty, from funding schools and paying for medics to visit remote villages to electrifying areas. Signs of growth are everywhere, although Lhasa's mix of stores and concrete housing blocks looks drearily similar to other fast-growing Chinese cities.
For Ma Chuanming, a Muslim Hui who left a life as a poor farmer in Gansu province, Tibet promised a better life. After looters struck his store on the first day of riots, he and his family moved to a government building. They watched as smoke rose from the direction of their shop, which burned down.
He says he will rebuild. "I'm not afraid, it doesn't matter where you go, something bad could happen," Mr. Ma says."
the western countries see china as a huge threat and will do whatever to undermine it
it irks me to see so many hypocrites attempting to disrupt the olympics torch relay in the name of freedom, yet they turn a blind eye to their immediate neighbours bid for freedom.